Elsa Lanchester (1902-1986) was an Oscar® nominated English actress with a long career in theatre, film and television. Her movie career lasted over 50 years covering 7 different decades. Her IMDb page shows 99 acting credits from 1925 to 1980 . This page will rank 47 Elsa Lanchester movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television appearances, shorts, and movies not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings.
Elsa Lanchester Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Elsa Lanchester movies by movie titles and trailers to those movies
- Sort Elsa Lanchester movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Elsa Lanchester movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Elsa Lanchester movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Elsa Lanchester movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Elsa Lanchester movie received.
- Sort by how many Oscar® wins each Elsa Lanchester movie received.
- Sort Elsa Lanchester movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Another one who was not in my database. Elsa was never on the Oracle of Bacon Top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list. These are the actors on the 2016 list she appeared with.
97 CHARLES DURNING Die Laughing (1980)
142 ERNEST BORGNINE Willard (1971)
163 JAMES CROMWELL Murder by Death (1976)
166 BRUCE DAVISON Willard (1971)
198 DEAN STOCKWELL The Secret Garden (1949)
260 PETER COYOTE Die Laughing (1980)
684 PETER FALK Murder by Death (1976)
781 SHELLEY WINTERS Frenchie (1950)
807 TERI GARR Pajama Party (1964)
912 ARTHUR TOVEY Willard (1971)
937 ROBERT EASTON Dreamboat (1952)
956 LARRY HANKIN Die Laughing (1980)
966 KATHLEEN FREEMAN 3 Ring Circus (1954)
The following people were on the original list in 2000 but have since fallen off; all appeared with Elsa.
14 JOHN CARRADINE Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
14 JOHN CARRADINE Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
14 JOHN CARRADINE Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
25 RODDY MCDOWELL Lassie Come Home (1943)
25 RODDY MCDOWELL Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
25 RODDY MCDOWELL That Darn Cat! (1965)
43 KEENAN WYNN Honeymoon Hotel (1964)
43 KEENAN WYNN The Glass Slipper (1955)
56 HENRY FONDA Tales of Manhattan (1942)
58 JACK LEMMON Bell Book and Candle (1958)
75 CAMERON MITCHELL Les miserables (1952)
100 IAN WOLFE Les Miserables (1952)
100 IAN WOLFE The Petty Girl (1950)
100 IAN WOLFE Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
102 DAVID NIVEN Murder by Death (1976)
102 DAVID NIVEN The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
118 WOODY STRODE Androcles and the Lion (1952)
144 PETER USTINOV Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
146 MIKE MAZURKI Come to the Stable (1949)
151 CESAR ROMERO Tales of Manhattan (1942)
187 RAY MILLAND Forever and a Day (1943)
187 RAY MILLAND Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
187 RAY MILLAND The Big Clock (1948)
192 YVONNE DE CARLO Buccaneer’s Girl (1950)
221 JOHN CRAWFORD Mystery Street (1950)
222 BESS FLOWERS Dreamboat (1952)
222 BESS FLOWERS Tales of Manhattan (1942)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Big Clock (1948)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Petty Girl (1950)
222 BESS FLOWERS The Razor’s Edge (1946)
222 BESS FLOWERS Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
234 AKIM TAMIROFF Naughty Marietta (1935)
241 BRODERICK CRAWFORD Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
255 ALEXANDER KNOX Rembrandt (1936)
256 HANK WORDEN Frenchie (1950)
272 VITO SCOTTI Honeymoon Hotel (1964)
278 KEYE LUKE Hell’s Half Acre (1954)
280 BILLY BARTY Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
281 ELIZABETH TAYLOR Lassie Come Home (1943)
299 FRITZ FELD Passport to Destiny (1944)
310 STEVE FORREST Rascal (1969)
323 GEORGE SANDERS Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
323 GEORGE SANDERS Tales of Manhattan (1942)
344 JAMES STEWART Bell Book and Candle (1958)
364 LESLIE CARON The Glass Slipper (1955)
392 ALEC GUINNESS Murder by Death (1976)
393 CHARLES BOYER Tales of Manhattan (1942)
395 WALTER PIDGEON Rascal (1969)
395 WALTER PIDGEON The Glass Slipper (1955)
420 MAURICE MARSAC The Razor’s Edge (1946)
424 ZSA ZSA GABOR 3 Ring Circus (1954)
438 GLYNIS JOHNS Mary Poppins (1964)
463 EDWARD G. ROBINSON Tales of Manhattan (1942)
472 TERRY-THOMAS The Ghost Goes West (1935)
472 TERRY-THOMAS The Private Life of Henry VIII. (1933)
504 ANDY ROMANO Pajama Party (1964)
506 DOUGLAS FOWLEY 3 Ring Circus (1954)
517 WILFRID HYDE-WHITE Rembrandt (1936)
520 WILLIAM SCHALLERT The Girls of Pleasure Island (1953)
532 JIM BACKUS Androcles and the Lion (1952)
546 REED MORGAN Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)
549 STROTHER MARTIN Androcles and the Lion (1952)
554 BUD CORT Die Laughing (1980)
562 PAUL BRYAR The Petty Girl (1950)
562 PAUL BRYAR The Razor’s Edge (1946)
602 MAGGIE SMITH Murder by Death (1976)
612 JEFFREY HUNTER Dreamboat (1952)
617 PAUL FREES Mary Poppins (1964)
648 HARRY MORGAN The Big Clock (1948)
650 ARTHUR MALET Mary Poppins (1964)
673 PETER SELLERS Murder by Death (1976)
682 RAY TEAL Northwest Outpost (1947)
682 RAY TEAL The Petty Girl (1950)
731 JOHN HOYT Androcles and the Lion (1952)
742 RICARDO MONTALBAN Mystery Street (1950)
746 HERB VIGRAN Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
767 PHILIP AHN Hell’s Half Acre (1954)
811 ROBERT NICHOLS Dreamboat (1952)
832 DON BRODIE Bell Book and Candle (1958)
832 DON BRODIE Tales of Manhattan (1942)
840 FRANK GORSHIN That Darn Cat! (1965)
848 FRANK LATIMORE The Razor’s Edge (1946)
851 CEDRIC HARDWICKE Forever and a Day (1943)
874 DEAN JONES Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
874 DEAN JONES That Darn Cat! (1965)
877 JERRY LEWIS 3 Ring Circus (1954)
882 DEAN MARTIN 3 Ring Circus (1954)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT 3 Ring Circus (1954)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT Passport to Destiny (1944)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT The Big Clock (1948)
894 PHILIP VAN ZANDT The Petty Girl (1950)
930 BING RUSSELL Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
963 FRANK FERGUSON Frenchie (1950)
965 MARY WICKES The Petty Girl (1950)
969 BYRON FOULGER Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
969 BYRON FOULGER The Inspector General (1949)
973 JEAN SIMMONS Androcles and the Lion (1952)
980 VICTOR MATURE Androcles and the Lion (1952)
994 ELLEN CORBY The Spiral Staircase (1945)
1000 TED MARKLAND Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
Elsa appeared with 30 Oscar winners. She made 8 films with her husband Charles Laughton and 1 with Elvis which is of no relevance here.
ALEC GUINNESS Murder by Death (1976)
ANNE BAXTER The Razor’s Edge (1946)
BRODERICK CRAWFORD Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
CELESTE HOLM Come to the Stable (1949)
CHARLES COBURN Forever and a Day (1943)
CHARLES LAUGHTON Forever and a Day (1943)
CHARLES LAUGHTON Passport to Destiny (1944)
CHARLES LAUGHTON Rembrandt (1936)
CHARLES LAUGHTON Tales of Manhattan (1942)
CHARLES LAUGHTON The Beachcomber (1938)
CHARLES LAUGHTON The Big Clock (1948)
CHARLES LAUGHTON The Private Life of Henry VIII. (1933)
CHARLES LAUGHTON Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
DAVID NIVEN Murder by Death (1976)
DAVID NIVEN The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
DONALD CRISP FOREVER AND A DAY (1943)
DONALD CRISP LASSIE COME HOME (1943)
EDMUND GWENN Forever and a Day (1943)
EDMUND GWENN Lassie Come Home (1943)
EDMUND GWENN Les miserables (1952)
ELIZABETH TAYLOR Lassie Come Home (1943)
ERNEST BORGNINE Willard (1971)
ETHEL BARRYMORE The Spiral Staircase (1945)
GEORGE SANDERS Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake (1942)
GEORGE SANDERS Tales of Manhattan (1942)
GINGER ROGERS Dreamboat (1952)
GINGER ROGERS Tales of Manhattan (1942)
HENRY FONDA Tales of Manhattan (1942)
JACK LEMMON Bell Book and Candle (1958)
JAMES STEWART Bell Book and Candle (1958)
JANE DARWELL Mary Poppins (1964)
JOSEPH SCHILDKRAUT NORTHWEST OUTPOST (1947)
JULIE ANDREWS Mary Poppins (1964)
LIONEL BARRYMORE David Copperfield (1935)
LORETTA YOUNG Come to the Stable (1949)
LORETTA YOUNG The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
MAGGIE SMITH Murder by Death (1976)
PETER USTINOV Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
RAY MILLAND Forever and a Day (1943)
RAY MILLAND Terror in the Wax Museum (1973)
RAY MILLAND The Big Clock (1948)
ROBERT DONAT The Ghost Goes West (1935)
ROBERT DONAT The Private Life of Henry VIII. (1933)
SHELLEY WINTERS Frenchie (1950)
THOMAS MITCHELL TALES OF MANHATTAN (1942)
VICTOR MCLAGLEN Forever and a Day (1943)
WALTER BRENNAN Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Hey Dan
1. So our page gets Elsa into your database….I like that….sorry if it causes you to much work.
2. First list….that is a decent amount of people on the current list….especially with her most famous role (Bride of Frankenstein) being 82 years ago.
3. Second list….lots of familiar names here…..with Bess Flowers appearing 6 times.
4. Oscar list…..30 is above average for an actress….I guess all those supporting roles helped her get to such a nice number.
5. 8 Charles Laughton and Elsa movies…..gotta be close to a record for most appearances in the same movie by a real husband/wife team.
Good stuff as always….thanks for sharing it.
One of my most favourite character actresses! As I already stated on another page (but forgot which one that was) I am right with Flora about Mystery Street. Witness for the Prosecution, her most famous Bride of Frankenstein, Come to the Stable, The Bishop’s Wife, Murder by Death, The Big Clock, Rembrandt, Ladies in Retirement as one of Lupino’s weird sisters, her wonderful performance as Anne of Cleves to Charles Laughton’s Henry VIIIth, The Spiral Staircase, The Ghost Goes West, another pairing with Laughton in The Beachcomber are some of my favourite Elsa Lanchester movies. I remember having seen Willard about 4 centuries ago, and back then, it creeped the beeep out of me, but I’m not sure if that one could still be called a favourite today. Never been a fan of Mary Poppins or Bell, Book and Candle, but Elsa delivered a good account of herself in both. I really like The Razor’s Edge, but I must admit that I mostly remember it for Power, Tierney and Baxter.
Great to have an Elsa Lachester page now, like Thelma Ritter she was a true audience favourite in supporting parts. Haven’t said it in quite a while…Thumbs Up!
Hey Lupino…..she would be in my Hall of Fame of Character Actresses too. You forgot which page? For shame!….We only have a few pages here on UMR…..certainly you can remember!….lol. I will have to check out Mystery Street. Good breakdown on some of her best roles. I have not seen Come To The Stable, Rembrandt or Ladies in Retirement. Come To The Stable is along with Mystery Street the two Elsa movies I want to see the most.
Been ages since I saw Willard…but like you…it creeped me out as well. I barely remember her role in The Razor’s Edge….I would include Clifton Webb with the others you mentioned as for being more memorable in that movie. Her and Ritter almost seem connected in my memory…..as they always made a movie better when they showed up. Good feedback…as always.
Bruce, how right you are! Shame on me!!!! Buuuuuut- there is a flickering light upon the horizon of my misty watercoloured memories. My sweet and short original comment on Mystery Street from September 18th,2017, already highlighting Miss Lanchester performance in it: “Mystery Street,with an eccentric supporting performance by Elsa Lanchester,” Well, not much to go on, but I cited Mystery Street as one fav among many other movies of 1950 😉
Hello Lupino,
Memory is always mystery that s fun and sometimes we have to check on the web for confirmation so we have to work on that but i recognize sometimes it is not easy;
Aussi to keep my good humeur i sing to my self a song of Jeanne Moreau;
J’AI LA MÉMOIRE QUI FLANCHE,
Je ne me souviens plus très bien etc
Nice to meet you on Elsa page
Pierre
Hey Pierre….good thoughts on memory and how it is a mystery…..an enjoyable comment.
Guten Abend Pierre,
My memory is fading
I don’t remember very well…looks like Jeanne was singing about the Lupino of 2018 as early as 1963…and she was so young herself back then!
Here is a performance of the song on youtube, maybe somebody apart from you and me is interested in some european culture 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6uU2czYbOM
Have a great weekend!
Hey Lupino…good job remembering where you put that Mystery Street “high praise” comment….I was just joking with you……especially since we have recently crossed the 3,000 page mark…..it is getting confusing trying to remember all the UMR subjects. Hard to believe it has been that long already…..but then again….in those 9 months….we have created a lot of yearly reviews since then. Thanks for the clarification. Good stuff.
Bruce, I knew you were joking…just trying to “joke back” 😉
I’m a big Elsa Lanchester fan so I’m thrilled to see her get her own page.
I have seen 22 Elsa Lanchester movies.
The highest ranked film I have seen is Mary Poppins.
The highest ranked film I have NOT seen is Come to the Stable.
The lowest ranked film I have seen is Mystery Street, an underrated gem that looks at forensic science decades before CSI shows.
My favourite Elsa Lanchester films are:
Witness For the Prosecution
Bride of Frankenstein
Mary Poppins
The Bishop’s Wife
Mystery Street
Lassie Come Home
The Spiral Staircase
Murder By Death
Bell, Book and Candle
The Private Life of Henry VIII
Hey Flora
1. Thanks for the visit, comment, tally and thoughts on Mrs. Charles Laughton.
2. Tally counts: Sorry to say….but Steve and I have you topped…as our combined tally count of 27 has your 22 beat….hey you can not win them all the time…lol.
3. I have not seen Come to the Stable either…..it is one of her two Oscar nominations….so maybe we should eventually see it.
4. Mystery Street sounds interesting…..I will have to see if I can find that movie.
5. Of your favorites….have seen 7 of them. Witness, Bride and Henry 8…being my favorites.
Good feedback as always.
The Bride of Frankenstein gets her UMR page.
I’ve seen 16 of the 47 films on the chart. My favorite of the bunch is Bride of Frankenstein, other favorites include The Private Life of Henry VIII, Willard, Murder by Death, Mary Poppins and Witness for the Prosecution.
I’m happy to see Bride was a bigger hit than David Copperfield which came out the same year, and it was bigger than Witness for the Prosecution too, in adjusted dollars.
Nice work Bruce. Vote Up!
Hey Steve
1. Yep the Bride gets her moment in the sun….hopefully she likes the page…versus being disgusted by it…..I would strongly dislike burning down the website….lol.
2. Tally count….Flora 22, you 16 and me 11….so combined we take Flora down 27 to 22…..ah…the smell of victory….lol.
3. I have seen and enjoyed all of your favorite Elsa movies.
4. Bride fell behind Copperfield…mainly due to Copperfield getting a Best Picture nomination.
5. But time has shown which is the greater of the two….not thinking David Copperfield of the 1930s gets mentioned too often these days.
Thanks for the kind words and the visit.
Busy busy weekend….family gatherings, Deadpool 2, yard work and hanging out with WoC…..so very little done at UMR…..but quickly put together this Elsa Lanchester page. Now it is time to go back to work….only 18 more days to SUMMER VACATION.
But you’re always busy Bruce. It’s a miracle you have time to visit this website at all. 🙂
Hey Steve….plus we ran a 5K on Saturday morning. Sometimes you got take a step back….and gather your thoughts.
Happy you had time to put together this Elsa Lanchester page with how busy you are.
Hey Flora…..I was re-reading my Joel book…when I saw her name….and I kept thinking…”Wow….almost all of her movies are already in the database”….so she was the perfect choice for a page on a late Sunday evening. Glad you like it.